Jon Olav Myklebust and Finn Ove Båtevik
Earning a living for former students with special educational needs. 
Does class placement matter? 

 

The article discusses to what extent former special needs students – now in their late 20s – achieve economic independence. The emphasis is on class placement—that is, whether being educated in special or regular classes in upper secondary school contributes to favourable occupational outcomes. The empirical evidence is based on interviews of 373 young Norwegians who have been surveyed regularly for more than 10 years. The analyses reveal that nearly half of the young adults have found jobs that make them economically independent. Students schooled in regular classes attain vocational or academic competence and obtain a driving licence to a much greater degree than do students educated in special classes. In turn this increases the chances of earning a living. That is the indirect effect of class placement. The direct positive effect of schooling in regular classes is observed among people with rather low functional abilities and among those who do not succeed in attaining competence or obtaining a driving licence. 

 

Artikkelen er tilgjengeleg i:
European Journal of Special Needs Education, Vol. 24, No. 2, May 2009, 203–212.